Loader or conveyer



3 Sheets-Sheet 1 ,Y W A INVENTOR;

w. F. RosE LOADER 0R ACONVEYER Oct. 24, 1950 Filed oct. 21, -1944 Oct. 24, 1950 w. F. ROSE LOADER 0R coNvEYER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 21, 1944 INVENTOR; W/L/AM F POSE, BY L HTT'Y Oct. 24, 1950 w. F. RosE 'LOADER 0R coNvEYER 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Oct. 21, 1944 Patented Oct. v1950 LOADER R CONVEYER William F. Rose, Westerville, 0h10, assignor, by

mesne assignments, to The Jeffrey Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Ohio Application October 2l, 1944, Serial No. 559.756

7 claims. l

This invention relates to a loader or conveyor and an object thereof is to provide improved mechanism for preventing the accumulation of undue slack in a conveyor draft chain as articulated parts of the conveyor frame are adjusted while at the same time eliminating the use of energy storing springs.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved shaft takeup mechanism preferably of the hydraulic type for use in an articulated conveyor.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved hydraulic system designed particularly ifor automatically adjusting the takeup shaft of a conveyor system.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter, the noveljeatures and combinations being set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a. plan view of an underground coal loading machine incorporating the features of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the machine of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail plan view of a portion of the discharge conveyor of the loader of Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, looking in the directionl of the arrows;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view through one of the pumps of the conveyor or loader; and

Fig. 6 is a schematic piping diagram of the hydraulic system which I preferably employ which in combination and per se constitute features of my invention.

The loader and/or conveyor herein disclosed follows in general design that disclosed in the patent to Nils D. Levin, No. 2,353,052, dated July 4, 1944, to which my improvements have been added, and except for my improvements, unless a contrary fact is indicated by the drawings or specification it is to be understood that the loader of my invention follows said patent.

Briefly described, the principal structure of the loader includes a main frame I0 which is illustrated as provided with wheels II so that it may run on the rails I2 of a mine track, though the loader may be mounted on any other transportation mechanism. Mounted on the forward end of the main frame II) for swinging movement about an upright axis as well as for vertical adjustment of its front end is a gathering boom I3 which includes a pair of motordriven endless flight carrying gathering mechanisms I4 which gather the loose or semi-compact coal in front of the machine and convey it rearwardly along a central trough or way Il and discharge it into a receiving hopper Il of a receiving and discharge conveyor I1 which includes trough forming frame members i8 and I9. The frame member I9 is mounted for swinging movement about an upright axis with respect to the frame member Il and preferably the frame I8 is articulated about a horizontal axis, as disclosed in the above mentioned patent. The frame members I8 and I9 are constructed to provide a continuous trough, as disclosed more completely in the above-mentioned patent, said trough having eiectively continuous side walls for each of the various relative positions of adjustment between them provided by the swinging movement of the frame member I9.

This swinging movement of the frame member I9 is provided by mechanism disclosed in some detail in Fig. 3 of the drawings which shall now cable 2l is anchored which isreeved over a. wheel or pulley 22 carried by a bracket on the frame member I9. From said wheel 22 the cable 2l extends over a pulley 23 journaled to a head 24 of a. piston 25 of a hydraulic piston motor, there being two such piston motors designated 26 and 21, respectively, one on one side of the frame or boom I9, the other on the other side thereof. as clearly illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings. These two piston motors 28 and 21 are of similar construction, one being a right hand motor, the other a left hand motor. Each is of the Single acting type. As hereinafter described more completely, by supplying hydraulic fluid under pressure to one of the motors 26 or 21 while the other is connected to drain or tank, the boom or frame I9 may be swung in one direction and a. reverse connection of the piston motors 26 and 21 to pressure and tank respectively will reverse its movement. By trapping the fluid in the two motors 26 and 21 the boom or frame I9 will be locked in adjusted position.

Traveling through the continuous trough of the receiving and discharge conveyor I1 formed by the trough-like frame members I8 and I9 is a universally articulated endless chain and ight conveyor mechanism 28. Said conveyor mecha- I nism 28 includes an endless chain 29 and flights 30 which scrape over the bottom of the conveyor I1 and convey material from the hopper I6 rearwardly along said continuous trough and discharge it over a. tail or discharge shaft 3| into a receiving receptacle such as a mine car 32. 'I'he shaft 3| is preferably provided at its center with a chain receiving wheel or pulley 3-3 over which the chain 29 travels, said -pulley 33 being rotatably mounted on the `shaft 3|. The upper or working run of the conveyor mechanism 28 is guided through the conveyor frame or section I8 by spaced guide members 34 carried on top ofthe bottom portion of the trough formed thereby. As the chain 29 leaves the guide members 34 it will change its direction in case the boom I9 is swung from its'rectilinear rearward position to either side, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings, andsvill be guided by segmental guide members which are mounted on a pivoted plate on frame I8.

It is a known fact that in an articulated con- I boom is progressively swung outwardly from the rectilinear or aligned position. In prior devices one method of compensating for this is to spring mount the shaft, equivalent to the shaft 3 I This construction has two very definite disadvantages.

In the first place it is dangerous because of the following condition which is sometimes encountered. If coal is being conveyed rearwardly along the trough formed by frames I8 and I9 by the rearward travel of the chain 29 and nights 30, a large lump of coal may strike the mine roof and stop the chain 29 and flights 30. However, since the chain 29 is power driven by a large electric motor, as by drive gearing disclosed in detail in the above mentioned patent, there will be a strong pull on the shaft 3| and if the shaft 3| is spring mounted the springs will be compressed completely whereupon if the motor continues to drive the lower or return run of the chain while the upper run in anchored as aforesaid, either the chain will break or it will jerk loose from the coal and in either case the energy which is stored up by compression of the springs lwill create a hazardous condition. For example, if the chain breaks, this energy will act like a catapult and throw the broken upper run portion of the chain with considerable force. On the other hand, if the chain pulls the coal loose from its temporary anchorage, the energy stored in the springs will throw pieces of coal in the manner of a catapult and sometimes this is with considerable speed and thus very dangerous.

There is another objection to this spring loading of the chain. Because of it there is always, or substantially always, a certain amount of tension on the chain as determined by the spring compression. In other words, there is never a condition in which the chain is absolutely slack on the roller, such as the roller 33, though it is desirable that there be no real tension whatever on the chain 29 during most working conditions and there. should be a certain amount of slack between the chain and the roller 33 under substantially all working conditions. These undesirable characteristics of said prior known devices have been completely overcome while at the same time automatic compensation for the apparent length of chain 29 is provided for by the structure of my invention.

As clearly illustrated particularly in Fig. 4 of the drawings, opposite ends of the shaft 3l are grooved on the top and bottom so that said shaft 3| rides in slide guideways 36 formed adjacent the discharge or rear end of the frame or boom I9. Cooperating with opposite ends of the shaft 3| are single acting hydraulic piston motors or jacks 31 and 38, the free or exposed ends of the pistons of which act as abutments and are preferably received in recesses in the ends of the shaft 3|. As illustrated in Fig. 4, a piston 39 has a curved head 40 which is received in a recess in the end of the shaft 3|. Preferably this abutting but non-positive connection is provided between piston 39 and shaft 3| since the force transmitted to the chain 29 to cause its upper run to travel rearwardly will provide a force on the shaft 3|, tending to move it to the right or forwardly, as viewed in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings, when it is in operation. At the same time whenever the chain 29 is not driven or is id1e,vdei`1nite slack may exist between it and the roller 33. It is thus seen that a springless and positive or nonresilient but adjustable abutment is provided for the opposite ends of the shaft 3|, restricting its movement in one direction.

To provide for lateral swinging movement of the boom I9 and also to eiect adjustment of the shaft 3| to compensate for the apparent change in the length of chain 29, I preferably provide a hydraulic system, though it is to be understood that my invention in its broad aspects embraces other types of swinging and compensating mechamsm.

As hereinafter described more completely, the compensating arrangement as illustrated, is in effect merely a hydraulic type of linkage.

As best seen in Figs. 3, 5 and 6 of the drawings, attached to each of the piston motors 23 and 21 is a piston type pump, the pump associated with piston motor 26 being designated 4| and that associated-with piston motor 21 being designated 42. The pumps 4| and 42 are of similar structure and pump 4|y is disclosed in detail in Fig. 5 of the drawings. Each of said pumps includes a cylinder 43 within which there is a piston 44 which has a rounded head 45 on the projecting end thereof which abuts a wear block on a bracket 46 which is rigidly attached, as by welding, to the head 24 of the piston 25 of the associated piston motor 26 or 21, as the case may be. The pumps 4| and 42 are single acting and as clearly illustrated in Fig. 6 of the drawings they are connected in a hydraulic series circuit with the two parallel connected hydraulic piston motors 31 and 38 by way of a hydraulic coupling including a conduit 41 extending from pump 4| to motor 31, thence from motor 31 to motor 38 and from motor 33 to pump 42.

As illustrated in Fig. 6 of thev drawings, when the boom |9 has its longitudinal axis in alignment with the frame I8 or, in other words, when it extends longitudinally rearward or is in its central or neutral position, the two pistons 25 on the swinging boom motors 26 and 21 will be in the full line positions. Under these conditions the pistons 44 of both the pumps 4| and 42 will be extended the maximum amount but their length is such that their heads 45 will not contact the brackets 46. A limited amount of swinging movement of the boom I9 in either of its reverse directions will not effect any adjustment of the shaft 3|.v This swinging movement may, for example, be approximately fifteen degrees on either side of the aligned position. However, when this fifteen degree position is encountered, for example as illustrated in Fig. 3

of the drawings, the bracket 45 will abut the head 45 of piston 44 of pump 4I and any further swinging movement of the boom I9 in a clockwise direction will produce' depression of the piston 44 of pump 4I and hydraulic fluid will be forced from it through the conduit 41 and through the two hydraulic piston motors 31 and 38 associated with the shaft 3l, thereby to expand them and force the shaft 3l outwardly progressive amounts as the boom is progressively swung in a clockwise direction until it reaches the maximum angle to which it can be swung. Duringthis operation it is obvious that pump 42 is essentially idle since its piston 44 is in its greatest position of expansion throughout the entire travel of the boom I9. If the boom I9 is thereafter swung back toward its neutral or aligned position the chain 29, as it progressively decreases its apparent length, will apply force to the shaft 3| and the two motors 31 and 38 will act as pumps and force the hydraulic fluid back into the expanding pump 4I which is acting something in the nature of a motor but actually it is not doing any particular work since it merely pushes its piston 44 outwardly against no load as permitted by the receding bracket 46. If the boom I9 is swung in a counter-clockwise position from its neutral position the above described action will be substantially repeated except that the pump 42 will be the active pump and pump 4I will be inactive. It is thus evident that the two pumps 4I and 42 act alternatively for reverse swinging movement of the boom I9 to expand the two motors 31 and 38 together. Said motors 31 and 38 are connected in parallel. This arrangement of hydraulic pumps 4I and 42 and motors 31 and 38 with the hydraulic connections provided is in effect a hydraulic linkage which automatically adjusts the shaft 3| as the boom I9 is swung laterally. Within the broad aspects of my invention other types of linkages such as mechanical linkage might be employed to eiect a similar result.

The hydraulic system for operating the'two boom swinging motors 26 and 21 is per se of conventional design and mayfollow that described in the above mentioned Patent No. 2,353,052. However, there is a novel relation between this power system and the hydraulic linkage system just described which vconstitutes an important contribution of my invention and which shall be described hereinafter.

Referring first to the hydraulic system for adjusting the motors 26 and 21, it includes a tank 48 for the hydraulic fluid or oil from which oil is derived by a pump 49, the output line or conduit 50 of which leads to a bank of four-way valves 5I. A pressure relief valve 52 is provided in the conduit 50 so that on occurrence of excessive pressure therein the outlet owwill be by-passed to the tank 48 by a conduit. The pressure relief valve 52 may be set at any selected value, for example, 800 pounds per square inch. From one of the bank of four-way valves 5I a pair of feed conduits 54 and 55 extend to the single acting piston motors 26 and 21, respectively. Between the conduit 55 and the conduit 41 and adjacent the motor 21 and'pump 42 I provide a conduit having a manually operable valve 56 connected therein so that conduits 55 and 41 may be selectively connected or disconnected. Also between the conduit 54 and the conduit 41 adjacent the motor 26 and pump 4| I provide a conduit having therein an adjustable pressure relief valve 51. The pressure relief valve 51 is set to open at a. lower pressure than that at which pressure l relief valve 52 opens. Por example, it may be set to open at 600 pounds per square inch. It controls the ilow of hydraulic fluid from the conduit 54 to conduit 41. A reverse flow therethrough is not possible.

The function particularly of the valves 54 and 51 is as follows in connection with the complete hydraulic system. Obviously as is well understood in this art by controlling the valve lever of the four-way valve 5I which controls the two motors 25 and 21 pressure from the pump 49 may be applied selectively to the conduits 58 and 55. the other conduit being connected to drain through the valve of bank 5I and drain conduit 58. When the lever of the control valve of bank 5I is in its neutral position, hydraulic fluid will be sealed in the motors 25 and 21 and in the conduits 54 and 55 and thus the boom I9 will be locked in position. Assuming that the lever of the control valve of bank 5I is actuated to apply pressure to conduit 54 and connect conduit v to drain, the boom I9 will be swung in a counter-clockwise direction and if this swinging movement is permitted to continue until said .boom I9 has swung the maximum amount provided by its mechanical construction and thus strikes mechanical abutments which are provided, the pressure in the conduits 58 and 54 will increase and as relief valve 51 is set to open at a lower pressure, as for example 800 rounds per square inch, than relief valve 52, the former will open and hydraulic fluid under pressure in conduit 54 will flow into conduit 41 and expand the two pumps 4I and A42 as well as the two motors 31 and 35 the maximum permitted by their pistons or abutments which they encounter. In the case of the motors 31 and 38 it means they will be expanded the maximum amount permitted by the chain 29. In other words, a predetermined tension will be thrown on the chain 25 and the hydraulic linkage system will be filled with oil. As soon as these pistons are all at the ends of their strokes as permitted bythe mechanical conditions, the hydraulic pressure will increase until relief valve 52 operates whereupon the manual valve 5I will be released to neutral. If desired, pressure relief valve 51 may be a manual valve and opened at the will of the operator whenever pressure is in conduit 54 to tension the chain 29 by expanding the motors 31 and 55. The function of the manually operable valve 55 is to drain hydraulic iluid from the above described hydraulic linkage system. For example, if the lever of control valve 5I is actuated to provide pressure to conduit 54, the boom I9 will be swung in a counter-clockwise direction and after a predetermined swinging movement thereof from its normal position the bracket 48 of motor 21 will strike the head of piston 44, as previously described. Under normal operation the hydraulic fluid thus forced from the cylinder of pump 42 will be delivered to the conduit 41 to expand the motors 31 and 35. Normally, of course, valvev 55 is closed under these conditions. If, however, valve 56 is open under these conditions, the

" hydraulic fluid delivered to conduit 41 will not expand the motors 31 and 38 but will iiow through the conduit 55 to drain 58 since conduit 55 is so connected under the conditions described.

It is thus evident that I have provided means to introduce hydraulic fluid under pressure from the pressure system which includes the pump 45 and the motors 25 and 21 to the hydraulic coupling system which includes the pumps li and 42 and the motors 31 and 38 and also means to drain said hydraulic coupling system by way of the hydraulic pressure system.

Obviously those skilled in the art may make various changes in the details and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims hereto appended and I wish therefore not to be restricted to the precise construction herein disclosed.

Having thus described and shown an embodiment of my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a loading machine, the combination with a main frame, of an articulated conveyor mounted thereon including trough forming vconveyor frame members mounted for relative swinging movement about an axis. endless draft conveyor mechanism adapted to travel through said conveyor trough, an adjustable shaft over which said draft mechanism travels, and hydraulic means operated by swinging movement of one of said frame members to adjust the position of said shaft, said hydraulic means including hydraulic piston abutments adjacent said shaft, and feed means for expanding them as said swinging movement takes place.

2. In a loading machine, the combination with a main frame, of an articulated conveyor mounted thereon including trough forming conveyor frame members mounted for relative swinging movement about an axis, endless draft conveyor mechanism adapted to travel through said conveyor trough, an adjustable shaft over which said draft mechanism travels, and means operative in response to swinging movement of one of said frame members to adjust the positionvof said shaft, said means including mechanism to adjust said shaft in one direction independently of the tension of said chain and operative to provide slack in said chain in at least oneof the positions of said conveyor frames. l

3. A conveyor including Aa trough having two articulated frame parts', an endlesschainconveyor mechanism adapted to travel through said trough, a shaft over which said chain conveyor mechanism travels, said chain when driven tending to pull said shaft in one direction, abutment means adapted to limit the movement of said shaft under the influence of said chain, means for swinging one of said frames relative to the other including hydraulic motor means. hydraulic motor means operating automatically by said swinging movement to adjust said abutment means, and means for introducing make-up i'luid in the system of said abutment adjusting motors including means operable automatically when said one frame is adjusted to an extreme position.

4. A conveyor including a trough having two articulated frame parts, an endless chain conveyor mechanism adapted to travel through said trough, a shaft over which said chain conveyor mechanism travels, said chain when driven tending to pull said shaft in one direction, abutment means adapted to limit the movement of said shaft under the inuence of said chain, means for swinging one of said frames relative to the other including hydraulic motor means, hydraulic l motor means operating 'automatically by said swinging movement to adjust said abutment rmeans, and means for introducing make-up fluid.-

in the system of said abutment adjusting motors. 5. A conveyor including articulated frame mem bers, endless conveyor mechanism adapted to travel over said frame members, means for swinging one of said frame members relative to the other, a shaft on one of said frame members over which said endless conveyor mechanism runs, a hydraulic linkage for adjusting said shaft in response to swinging movement of said one frame member, said linkage including a pair of hydraulic piston motors having adjustable abutments for said shaft, a pair of pumps having abutments operable selectively on reverse movements of said one frame, and means interconnecting said piston motors'vand pumps whereby the first named abutments will both be movedwhenever either of said second named abutments is moved. 6. A conveyor including articulated frame members, endless conveyor mechanism adapted to travel over said frame members, means for swinging one of said frame members relative to the other, a shaft on one of said frame members over which said endless conveyor mechanism runs, means forming a linkage for adjusting said shaft in response to swinging movement of said one frame member, said linkage means including a pair of adjustable abutments abutting said shaft, a second pair of abutments, means associated with the other of said frame members for operating said second abutments selectively on reverse movements Aof said one frame, and means interconnecting said abutments whereby the first named pair will both be moved whenever either of said second pair of abutments is moved. y 7. yIn a loading machine, the combination with a main frame, of an articulated conveyor mounted thereon including trugh forming conveyor frame members mounted for relative swinging movement about an axis, endless draft conveyor mech# anism adapted to travel through said conveyor trough, an adjustable shaft over which` said draft mechanism'travels, and means operative in response to swinging movement of one of said framef' members to adjust the position of said shaft, said means including mechanism to adjust said shaft in one direction independently of the tension of said chain and operative to provide slack in said chain in substantially al1 of the positionsv of said conveyor frames. y WILLIAM F. ROSE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,750,159 Broadh-urst Mar. 1l, 1930 1,785,402 Arentzen Dec. 16, 1930 v1,987,435 Engel Jan. 8, 1935- 2,081,056 Loweke May 18, 1937 2,192,175 Ballard Mar. 5, 1940 2,197,169 Andershock Apr. 16, 1940 2,204,649 Bamhart June 18, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 277,724 Great Britain Sept. 21, 1927 374,084 Italy Aug. 14, 1939 

